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Author
Topic: Curiosity Question (Read 6902 times)

First a little background.I've been positive for roughly 16 years. 14 of them I have had an AIDS diagnosis. Currently my tcells are 139 and I am undetectable. To be clear I want to say I'm not looking for anyone to give me a diagnosis.

For the last 6 months or more I have had a low grade fever every evening starting sometimes at 4 or 5 pm. Its always under 100 degrees. I've never gotten an answer as to why this is happening from my doctor. I have one right now of 99.8 degrees. I take Tylenol and it usually knocks it back down.

Been diagnosed for 13 years. On and off I come down with random low grade fevers, it is never tied to the other reasons I get a fever, like others said it doesn't turn into anything and is more apt to come on in the evening. No one has ever been able to explain it and in the past doctors have looked at me like I was making it up. Now I just chaulk it up to the funky things one's body goes through when it is always battling to maintain balance. YMMV,teo

The only thing that I can coilate with the fevers is that I started taking meds again at the beginning of the year. I've changed the time of day when I take the meds but the fevers still come at the same time.

I think low grade fevers are a symptom that don't get a whole lot of "discussion" for some reason...I don't know why, because it's very real and gets really OLD in a hurry.

Several times back in the 90's I was hospitalized for "unexplained fever" or "Fever of unknown origin". At that time my doctor told me "Don't say you have a fever unless it is over 101" (which I thought was bullshit, because my temp is usually slightly lower than 98.6 anyway)

Sorry this is happening to you Wendy, wish I knew something to say to help but I don't. I know we're not supposed to take a lot of Tylenol, or so I've been told.

Hope you get some answers and/or relief, or both!

hugs,Alan

« Last Edit: May 20, 2008, 10:40:23 PM by AlanBama »

Logged

"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

I'm not going to hold my breath when it comes to getting an answer about the fevers. I use a county clinic and I don't have any faith in my nurse practitioner. I rarely see a real doctor. So I really have to be proactive in my health care.

But I appreciate all of your support and its nice to know other people have had the same issue.

That's odd. Mine is normal at 98.6. Sometimes when I have been eating too much sugar for a few days my blood sugar drops really low a few days later around 4 or 5 and I feel feverish and sick. Weird. Sorry that's been happening to you.

I've been poz eleven years, no meds. I get low-grade fevers in the evenings too, but usually only when I'm run down or stress out or similar. I've always put it down to being an "aids thing" too and so has my doc. I usually just ignore it.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I often feel "flush" but then I take my temperature and it's just normal. Are all the rest of you (aside from Wendy) who are saying they get this actually taking your temperature these times, or are you just saying that you FEEL like you have one?

I often feel "flush" but then I take my temperature and it's just normal. Are all the rest of you (aside from Wendy) who are saying they get this actually taking your temperature these times, or are you just saying that you FEEL like you have one?

Good point. Anyone who touches me, and particularly my bed partners, would claim that I have a raging fever 24/7 by the amount of heat I seem to throw off. However, my body temperature taken in any number of ways will ordinarily come out around 98.0F.

I often feel "flush" but then I take my temperature and it's just normal. Are all the rest of you (aside from Wendy) who are saying they get this actually taking your temperature these times, or are you just saying that you FEEL like you have one?

I used to and it would usually be just under 100F. These days I normally just ignore it unless it feels more like a full-blown fever - that's the only time I actually take my temperature now. It's rarely above 100.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

The average normal temperature is 98.6. But I've never been average. LOL

I have cold hands and cold feet most of the time. If my hands or feet get warm its uncomfortable for me. I'm just starting to get that run down feeling. I took my temp and its only 98.4 so aside from my hands being pink and warm and me being tired I'm ok.

Guess I should expect to feel like I have AIDS considering its been 14 years since they gave me the label. LOLPlus 139 having tcells. I think I look fine. I know I have more ambition than my body will allow sometimes.

My normal temp is 97.6 too! Last summer I started having those low-grade fever in the afternoon, and it's happenning again starting a couple of weeks ago. I believe mine are caused by allergies. I seem to do better when I've been on Claritin for a couple of days. And I also had a doctor who thought I wasn't really having fevers.

Sorry to hear about the constant fever Wendy. What angers me about your situation (anger on your behalf) is that the doctors have allowed your cd4 count to linger under 200 for 14 years. To me that is unacceptable considering IL-2 has been used with success in raising cd4 counts since the early 1990s (maybe earlier than that).

I wonder if someone in your situation could get into a trial so you could get access to this. Call it a hunch, but if you were able to boost your cd4 up to say, 500, I would bet good money on you feeling a lot better.

I often feel "flush" but then I take my temperature and it's just normal. Are all the rest of you (aside from Wendy) who are saying they get this actually taking your temperature these times, or are you just saying that you FEEL like you have one?

For me it's fever. Chills, flushes and an elevated temp. I don't take my temp anymore coz I just know what it is, but I used to. Often accompanied by swollen glands.

Seriously though I failed to mention my tcells have not been under 200 the entire 14 years. They have bounced back up to around 600 before. In the late 90's I took a 2 year drug holiday and somehow was able to maintain a decent tcell count and undetectable viral load. Well, I did it again a couple of years ago and stupidly chose not to keep tabs on my counts. By the time I went back in to see the doctor my tcells where something like 22 with a viral load of 750,000. So needless to say I wont be trying to be an enigma again and tempt fate by taking another drug holiday. It was stupid and I'm paying the price for it now. I'm occasionally hard headed and have to learn things the hard way. hard to believe I know LOL

Menopause? I have had problems with my hormones for the last 5 years or so and they do say I fit into some of the classifications of premenopausal. I'll be 36 next week so its slightly early but we all know persons living with HIV for an extended amount of time don't always fit into the mold of normal with health issues. So that could be a reason too. I hadn't considered it before.

Thank you all for your input. Its really helped me to know I'm not alone in this.

Wendy, there does seem to be some anecdotal evidence that women who are poz tend to experience menopause earlier than usual. However, I don't think the hot flushes of menopause are actually accompanied by a fever. I was on a drug years ago to induce artificial menopause (to treat endometriosis) and I took my temperature a couple times during a hot flush out of curiosity and it was never elevated.

I was a commercial fisherman at the time and sod's law, damn near every time I had to put my oilskins on and go on deck to haul the catch, I'd get a hot flush. My skipper would be in the wheelhouse roaring with laughter as he watched me frantically trying to get my oilies off. They never come off easily when you're in a rush.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Wendy, when I'd get a hot flash, I'd feel like I was burning up from the inside out. That's why I took my temperature during a few of these flashes - out of curiosity - but it was never elevated. Sure felt like it was though although it felt different from an illness-related fever. They also didn't last too long, certainly not a whole evening. It could be anywhere from five to thirty minutes or so, but never for much longer than that.

The low-grade fevers I get now days are totally different. I don't think anyone could mistake a menapausal hot-flash for a low-grade - or even high - fever.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

It is weird. Is the evening when you relax? Maybe that's when your body has a chance to do some "housekeeping" so to speak. I've always thought that might be a simple (or simplistic ) reason why nightsweats tend to come at night instead of suddenly pouring sweat in the middle of the afternoon. Does that make sense?

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Yeah, makes since to me. I typically wake up at 7 am and go to work for a couple of hours then go cart my kid to the college and do any errands for work or home I need to do. So by the time 4 o'clock comes around I've usually been doing as little as possible for a couple of hours at the least.

Makes good since to me. I've worn my AIDS butt out all morning and when given a chance to chill for a couple of hours it retaliates. LOL

I've been similar, and currently get low grade fevers in the evenings, even when im feeling "well". Most of the time I will feel my face and forehead and it will be very hot, but when I take my temp, half the time it is normal, the other half, low grade fever. I've been having these for a couple years on and off, and just live with it as one of those hiv things, or perhaps my blood sugar was high and I was feeling flushed.

Our bodies do have a virus, and a fever is the body's way of fighting a virus by raising the core temperature as many viruses can't live in a warm environment. Sadly HIV seems to ignore this little and futile effort our bodies do to protect itself.

I haven't given myself any real time to slow down and sit on my rump doing absolutely nothing today.My temperature is 99.3 right now. When I am done with this post I'll go take something. But since I haven't been lying on the couch watching TV and vegetating I'm not feeling half as crummy as I normally would.

My hands are hot, I am achy and tired but somehow it just doesn't seem as bad. Maybe I'm just nuts.

Well, I am nuts but I'm not scary nuts. At least thats what the voices say...

I started drinking a glass of chamomile tea around lunch time for the last week and since have had less intestinal pain and my fevers have not gone above 98.7. Or at least I haven't noted any above 98.7.

I went out today and purchased ginger capsules. It supposedly helps with digestive issues. So that is going to be my next experiment. I also bought cranberry capsules. I have experience with those. They work wonders for urinary problems. My bf has had kidney stones before and here lately he has complained a few times about pain in that area so I'm going to make him take these capsules and maybe it will help.I know it works for infections and clearing debris from the urinary tract. No clue if it helps with stones. Or even if that is what he has...

I'll let y'all know if the ginger seems to help with my intestinal pain.